International Conventions: Explanatory Memoranda

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will make available explanatory memoranda about international conventions awaiting ratification to the House in hard copy as well as on the Internet.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Explanatory Memoranda (EMs) are already available to the House in hard copy. The FCO sends two sets of a treaty command paper and its accompanying EM to the Clerk of the Parliaments on the day of laying. One of these sets is marked for the attention of the Printed Paper Office so that copies can be made for distribution to Peers.

Burma: Imprisonment of James Mawdsley

Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What representations they have made over the past month to the Burmese authorities about the continued imprisonment of James Mawdsley; and what news they have of his ability to receive and send letters.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The British Embassy secured a call on the Minister of Home Affairs for Mr David Mawdsley, James' father, to discuss James' case on 10 January. He was accompanied by HM Consul.
	Only one in five of the letters that James has written has been cleared by the Burmese authorities. The Embassy has spoken to the prison authorities at each of its regular consular visits about this, and has now written formally to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to protest. It is awaiting a reply.
	James has received over 150 letters and cards, which are shown to him by Embassy staff during consular visits. These are returned to him after they have been censored by the Burmese authorities.

Burma: Human Rights

Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What action they are taking to ensure that genocide charges are preferred against those members of the Burmese military responsible for the killing of civilians and the continued violation of their human rights.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: We take every opportunity, for example through the EU Common Position, UN resolutions and the ILO, to make clear to the regime that the human rights situation in Burma is deplorable and they must take urgent steps to improve it. At present there is no international criminal tribunal with jurisdiction over Burma. The UK strongly supports the establishment of a permanent international criminal court which will have jurisdiction over genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Higher Education: Expenditure

Lord Baker of Dorking: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the public spending on higher education as a proportion of Gross Domestic Product from 1979-99; and what is the forecast for 2000 and 2001.

Baroness Blackstone: The proportion of GDP spent on higher education for each financial year is given in the following table. The spending figures are UK higher education spending, including the science budget. Figures for 2000-01 and 2001-02 are current spending plans. The proportions will vary depending upon the performance of the economy, which determines the level of GDP.
	Funding for higher education in England will increase by 11% in real terms over the four years to 2001-02.
	
		
			 Year  
			 1979-80 1.23% 
			 1980-81 1.33% 
			 1981-82 1.33% 
			 1982-83 1.30% 
			 1983-84 1.28% 
			 1984-85 1.23% 
			 1985-86 1.16% 
			 1986-87 1.14% 
			 1987-88 1.11% 
			 1988-89 1.07% 
			 1989-90 1.08% 
			 1990-91 1.10% 
			 1991-92 1.19% 
			 1992-93 1.28% 
			 1993-94 1.29% 
			 1994-95 1.31% 
			 1995-96 1.29% 
			 1996-97 1.19% 
			 1997-98 1.16% 
			 1998-99 1.12% 
			 1999-2000 1.13% 
			 2000-01 1.14% 
			 2001-02 1.14%

Sand Eels

Lord Hardy of Wath: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	For what purposes sand eels are caught in European Waters.

Baroness Hayman: The bulk of the sand eel catch is by the Danish fleet. The uses to which processed sand eels are put include animal and fish feedingstuffs and food ingredients. Other sand eels are caught for use as bait for recreational and other fisheries.

EU: Over-quota Fish Catches

Lord Hardy of Wath: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which European Union member states have been recorded as taking greater catches of fish than have been agreed; and which species have been over-fished.

Baroness Hayman: According to final catch data for 1998 made available to member states by the Commission, nine member states (Belgium, Denmark, Germany, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden and, United Kingdom) overfished one or more quota stocks for which they had a national allocation. These overfishes may not have resulted in an overfish of the EU Total Allowable Catch.
	The stocks for which the EU Total Allowable Catch was exceeded are as follows:
	
		
			 Species Area 
			 Cod IIId--Russian Federation waters Norwegian waters  of the North Sea (South of 62 degrees N) 
			 Herring IIIa--Skagerrak and Kattegat IIId--Polish waters 
			 Mackerel Norwegian waters of the North Sea (South of 62  degrees N), Faroese waters of ICES Vb IIa (EC  zone), IIIa Skaggerak and Kattegat, IIIb, c, d (EC  zone), North Sea 
			 Nephrops IIIa Skagerrak and Kattegat, IIIb, c, d (EC zone) 
			 Plaice VIId, e 
			 Saithe Norwegian waters of the North Sea (South of 62  degrees N), IIa (EC zone), IIIa Skagerrak and  Kattegat, IIIb, c, d (EC zone), North Sea 
			 Sprats IIa (EC zone), North Sea (EC zone) 
			 Blue Whiting Vb (EC zone), VI, VII 
		
	
	Final catch data for 1999 are not yet available.

Health Authorities: Eligibility Criteria

Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What guidance they have given to health authorities as a result of the Coughlan case.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We have issued interim guidance. This requires health and local authorities, in consultation with each other and, where appropriate, involving primary care groups, to satisfy themselves that their continuing and community care policies and eligibility criteria and other relevant procedures are in line with the Court of Appeal judgment on the Coughlan case and existing guidance, and to take further legal advice where necessary. The interim guidance also states that where authorities revise eligibility criteria following any review, they should consider what action they need to take to reassess service users against the revised criteria [HSC 1999/180: LAC(99) 30].

Health Authorities: Eligibility Criteria

Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether, in the light of the recent survey by the Royal College of Nursing, they are satisfied that all health authorities are now complying with the decision in the Coughlan case.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We have asked all the health authorities to review their eligibility criteria for continuing healthcare following the Coughlan judgment. We are continuing to monitor the situation.

Social Inclusion Action Plan

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord McIntosh of Haringey (WA 53), whether they will place in the Library of both Houses a copy of the new draft of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport social inclusion action plan.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The new draft Social Inclusion Action Plan is a working document which will be changed and developed over the coming months; it is not intended for publication. I have, however, placed copies in the Libraries of the House. The department intends to publish, at the end of this year, a progress report on promoting social inclusion through sport and the arts.

Sports Tourism

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their estimate of the revenue for the United Kingdom tourism industry generated by sports tourism.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: There is currently no reliable economic information available on which to estimate the revenue generated by sports tourism. However, on 11 January, the British Tourist Authority launched their Sports Tourism Action Plan for Britain together with Janet Anderson, Minister for Tourism and Kate Hoey, Minister for Sport. One of the aims will be to better estimate the economic impact made by sports tourism in Britain. It will also identify ways for Britain to take advantage of the wealth of opportunity which is offered through sport.

Sports Tourism

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they will publish their strategy for sports tourism.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: My department has no plans to publish a strategy for sports tourism. However, on 11 January, the British Tourist Authority launched their Sports Tourism Action Plan for Britain together with Janet Anderson, Minister for Tourism and Kate Hoey, Minister for Sport.

Knives Act 1997

Lord Windlesham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions have been recorded since the commencement of the Knives Act 1997.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Sections 1 to 7, 9 and 10 of the Knives Act 1997 came into force on 1 September 1997.
	Data for England and Wales are given in the table:
	
		Number of defendants prosecuted and convicted for offences under the Knives Act 1997, England and Wales, 1997-1999*
		
			 Offence description/Year Prosecutions Convictions 
			  Unlawful marketing of knives--Selling or hiring [s1 (4)(a)] 
			 1997 1 1 
			 1998 1 1 
			 1999* -- -- 
			  Unlawful marketing of knives--Offers or exposes to sell or hire [s 1 (4)(b)] 
			 1997 -- -- 
			 1998 2 1 
			 1999* 5 -- 
			  Publication of any written, pictorial or other material in connection with the marketing of any knife--the material suggests or indicates that the knife is suitable for combat [s 2 (1)(a)] 
			 1997 -- -- 
			 1998 -- -- 
			 1999* 1 -- 
		
	
	* Provisional (Quarter 1 and Quarter 2 only).
	For Scotland, such offences are not separately identifiable within the Scottish Executive's classification database of crimes and offences.
	For Northern Ireland, there have been no prosecutions brought under the Act up to
	31 December 1997. Data on prosecutions from January 1998 are not available.

Offences Against the Person Act 1861

Lord Windlesham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they intend to introduce legislation to reform the Offences Against the Person Act 1861.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: We hope to do so as soon as parliamentary time can be found.

Criminal Law Revision Committee

Lord Windlesham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When the Home Office Criminal Law Revision Committee last met; when it last made any recommendations to Ministers; and whether it is still in existence.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Criminal Law Revision Committee has not been active since its 1986 report Conspiracy to Defraud. The committee has never been formally disbanded.

Task Forces

Lord Roberts of Conwy: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Answer by the Lord Falconer of Thoroton that "the move towards task forces . . . makes for more transparent government and provides a much wider source of advice" (H.L. Deb., 11 January, col. 525), how such an analysis can be reconciled with their intention that information pertaining to the formulation of government policy should be a specific exemption from the provisions of the Freedom of Information Bill.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: I expect to be in a position to send you a substantive reply by 4 February.

Attendance Centres

Lord Bruce of Donington: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they have to reform attendance centres.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: In January last year, we set up a small working group, including attendance centre representatives and other experts, to consider the centres' future operation. It made a number of useful proposals for reform of their management and operation, including developing more individual programmes to tackle offending problems.
	For the 84 junior attendance centres we have decided to combine reforms on these lines with organisational changes to match the philosophy of the youth justice reforms launched in the Government's November 1997 White Paper No More Excuses--A New Approach to Tackling Youth Crime in England and Wales.
	From April 2000, the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales will take over from the Home Office the central responsibility for commissioning and funding junior attendance centres. The board will invite youth offending teams to start taking over as local agents for these centres from April, that is generally from chief officers of police. Close liaison with the police will continue, through police membership of youth offending teams. The local changes will be made first in a number of pilot areas. They will also be invited to develop the centres' programmes in line with the working group's principles, and liaise with the courts to ensure centres play an appropriate role in the new range of youth justice disposals.
	Senior attendance centres, which cater mainly for offenders aged 18 to 24, will remain the responsibility of the Home Office nationally and the police locally. Their future operation will be reviewed in the context of the adult sentencing framework.

Security Service: Accountability

Lord Gladwin of Clee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they will respond to the Home Affairs Committee's Third Report of Session 1998-99 on the accountability of the Security Service.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Government will respond tomorrow by way of a command paper.

Police Authorities: Funding

Lord Gladwin of Clee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How they plan to allocate police grant in 2000-01 and what the final funding allocations for police authorities will be for that year.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: My right honourable friend, the Home Secretary, has today laid before the House the Police Grant Report (England and Wales) 2000-01 (HC 169). The report sets out his determination for 2000-01 of the aggregate amount of grants that he proposes to pay under Section 46(2) of the Police Act 1996, and the amount to be paid to each police authority including the Receiver for the Metropolitan Police District.
	Funding allocations for each police authority in England for 2000-01 are set out in the table. The table also shows allocations approved by Parliament for 1999-2000. Final funding allocations for police authorities in Wales will be announced shortly when the National Assembly for Wales publishes standard spending assessment determinations for Welsh authorities.
	
		
			 Police Authority 1999/2000 Allocation1 £ million 2000/01 Allocation1 £ million 
			 English Shire forces 
			 Avon & Somerset 168.4 173.7 
			 Bedfordshire 61.4 64.1 
			 Cambridgeshire 74.8 77.2 
			 Cheshire 109.0 111.9 
			 Cleveland 81.7 84.7 
			 Cumbria 60.1 62.2 
			 Derbyshire 102.1 105.4 
			 Devon & Cornwall 174.3 178.9 
			 Dorset 70.1 72.4 
			 Durham 81.3 83.9 
			 Essex4 163.0 174.8 
			 Gloucestershire 62.4 63.5 
			 Hampshire 194.5 202.7 
			 Hertfordshire4 100.0 117.2 
			 Humberside 113.0 116.9 
			 Kent 183.1 191.2 
			 Lancashire 178.2 185.3 
			 Leicestershire 102.3 105.6 
			 Lincolnshire 63.4 65.4 
			 Norfolk 83.4 86.5 
			 North Yorkshire 77.6 79.7 
			 Northamptonshire 65.3 67.7 
			 Nottinghamshire 126.3 130.0 
			 Staffordshire 113.0 116.8 
			 Suffolk 68.6 70.9 
			 Surrey4 91.9 112.8 
			 Sussex 166.4 172.4 
			 Thames Valley 224.6 231.7 
			 Warwickshire 52.2 54.3 
			 West Mercia 113.0 117.2 
			 Wiltshire 64.9 66.7 
			  English Metropolitan forces 
			 Greater Manchester 375.7 386.1 
			 Merseyside 236.3 242.3 
			 Northumbria 213.0 218.4 
			 South Yorkshire 171.3 177.2 
			 West Midlands 380.6 392.7 
			 West Yorkshire 286.3 297.1 
			 London forces 
			 Metropolitan Police2, 1 1,743.9 1,731.2 
			 City of London3 55.4 56.4 
			  
			 English Total 6,852.8 7,045.1 
		
	
	Notes:
	1 Rounded to the nearest £100,000. The Allocation is the sum of: Police Grant, Transitional Grant, Police SSA, Capital Finance SSA, SSA Reduction Grant and Central Support Protection Grant.
	2 Figure for the Metropolitan Police does not include funding allocated to the Receiver under the Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services SSA for school crossing patrols, Magistrates' Courts and the Probation Service. It does include its Special Payment.
	3 Figure for the City includes Police SSA, Grant and SSA Reduction Grant, but excludes other SSAs (eg Capital Financing) and Central Support Protection Grant. These are allocated to the Common Council of the City of London as a whole in respect of all its functions.
	4 These authorities will be affected by the changes to police force boundaries around London on 1 April 2000. To provide comparison. Indicative 1999-2000 totals for these authorities as on the new boundaries are Essex: £169.8 million, Hertfordshire: £114.3 million, Surrey: £113.6 million and Metropolitan Police: £1701.9 million.